80-year old woman banned from pool after transgender row

This one might have escaped many people this week but it's worth looking at.  It's the news that in a community in the USA an 80-year old woman had been banned from her local YMCA pool because she called out a transgender female.

Julie Jaman was showering in the female changing room of Mountain View pool in Jefferson County in Washington State on 26th July.  She became aware of a male voice within the female changing room and checked what was going on.  She was then aware of a man dressed in a female bathing costume who was, in Jaman's words; "looking at the little girls as they were taking off their suits".

Concerned for the children Jaman then confronted Clementine Adams asking him if he had a penis to which he replied that it was none of her business.  Jaman then demanded that Adams leave the changing room.

Subsequently there was a confrontation between Jaman and Rowan DeLuna, a manager at the centre and then Jaman found herself banned from the pool indefinitely.  She was told that she had been discriminatory, which breached the rules of the facility.  Since then the pool has actually closed for the week citing being short staffed receiving, harassing and disturbing correspondence 

...we have also been working to navigate the stress of receiving countless harassing and disturbing phone calls, voicemails, and emails – most of which have been from outside of the community.

Not once have this swimming facility acknowledged that Julie Jaman might have felt unsafe, nor that she was looking out for the well-being of young girls within the vulnerable setting of the changing room.

Instead they have decided to go on a rampage about being inclusive, respecting everyone, everyone should have their dignity.  Everyone except, it would seem, an 80-year old woman who has used the pool facility for more than thirty-years, and a group of young girls.

Regardless of how anyone wants to live their lives, there has to be a big discussion about men who identify as women and the facilities that they can use.  Mountain View pool says that they are operating within a state law that says;

 “entities shall allow individuals the use of gender-segregated facilities, such as restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, and homeless or emergency shelters, that are

consistent with that individual's gender expression or gender identity.”

 

Meaning, if a male says he identifies as a woman then he automatically has the right to use female changing rooms.  So where, in all of that, is the right of the woman to have a changing room to get changed in that doesn't have males in it?  Especially if the facility offers female changing facilities.  

This is dangerous, really dangerous.  

Have the parents of the children in the changing room on July 26th been told about the incident? What are their thoughts on this? I'm sure they have concerns indeed.

Not only has Julie Jaman been treated terribly here, and I suspect her ban might get lifted, but so has even woman who expects the right of a female changing room or bathroom.  Whether that is in Washington State in the USA, or anywhere else in the world, this has to be confronted.  Women should not be giving up their rights because a man identifies as a woman.